Atheists have a habit of being insular — when we’re working on projects or staging protests that have to do with church/state issues, we tend to stick with each other. Religious partners and allies are an exception, not a norm, even though our issues are less about showing that there is no evidence for a god and more about how there should be a separation of church and state. You would think many more religious people would be on our side when it came to those issues!
Greta Christina has a list of ways that progressive theists (and apatheists, too) can become better allies for atheists. It’s a list for people who want to show support for the non-religious even if they aren’t atheists themselves.
The full list (with commentary) is on her site. You should read her complete explanations, but here is the condensed version:
- Familiarize yourself with the common myths and misconceptions about atheists — and don’t perpetuate them.
- Familiarize yourself with what it’s like to be an atheist, both in the U.S. and in the rest of the world.
- Find common ground.
- Speak out against anti-atheist bigotry and other forms of religious intolerance.
- Be inclusive of atheists.
- Don’t divide and conquer, and don’t try to take away our anger.
- If you’re going to accuse an atheist or an atheist group of being intolerant — be careful, and make sure that’s really what they’re being.
- Do not — repeat, DO NOT — talk about “fundamentalist atheists.”
- Be aware of how religious belief gives you a place of mainstream and privilege.
(I think she has nine items instead of ten just to &%$# with my head…)
What else would you include on her list?